The Native
American Dog is thought to be of similar descent as the Dingo. It is believed
to be the missing link to the first domesticated dogs in the world dating
back over 12,000 years.

Different
migrating groups and traders, (Vikings and other earlier visitors) entered
North and South America sometimes bringing their dogs. The native Americans
bred these Old World aboriginal dogs with the native Coyote to become
a distinct breed that is called the Plains, Hair, or Common Native Dog.
While these medium sized Common Native Dogs were mainly found within the
Plains Indian Groups (in early 1700's an estimated 300,000 just within
the plains area). All over the Americas from the far north to the distant
south, similar medium sized dogs were being bred for specific reasons
and abilities. However, by the late 1800's they were believed to be completely
eliminated or assimilated by the onslaught of European immigrant culture.

Today,
our breeding program's goals include maintaining the mystical appearance
and excellent working temperament of the original "Spiritual Dogs"
of the past, and emphasizing their loyal nurturing, and herding instincts
that help them (and us) survive this fast moving society . After near
extinction I would like to believe the Plains Indian Dogs, and their aboriginal
cousins in the Americas and around the globe, still have a place left
in this world.

The American
Indian Dog makes a good family pet and excels in herding, search and rescue,
agility, obedience, fly ball games and sled dog racing, etc., etc. It's
the perfect all around native "mutt", without the genetic health
problems commonly found in other, so called, pure breeds.

Modern
History of the American Indian Dog
By Kim La Flamme 1986

No one will probably
ever know exactly what types of Indian Dogs every Nation or Tribe had,
unless they were there at the time. With the amount of years that have
passed there arent any of the older Elders left who lived with The
Dogs before white mans dogs began mixing blood with them, but with research
and study all the pieces begin to fit back together.

My Great Grandmother
was Blackfoot and/or Iroquois, and it is said that when she married my
Great Grandfather she brought with her several Dogs, as her dowry. These
were probably the old trap-line Dogs, as they migrated down from Canada.
These Dogs are the same as the Common or Plains type. My Grandfather still
had a few of the off spring of some of these Dogs; I was fascinated with
their versatility and loyalty. They were still being used for hunting
and herding. My Grandfather said, They could do the work of a dozen
good men. As a boy I often spoke to Elders about the Dogs and tried
to gather as much information as I could on them. They all seemed to differ
slightly depending on the area, and what they were used for. From all
the research, it appeared that generally the large wolf-types were found
just in the far north for pulling large loads, and werent needed
for their loyalty or other abilities. The medium sized coyote-types were
mainly found amongst the Plains groups, but this seems to not always be
the case. There were these medium-sized Common or Plains types found with
every group from the tip of south America up to Alaska, these were the
all around working type dogs. There were also smaller pug nosed dogs found
here and there or long haired small sheep looking dogs, used for sheering
and weaving their fur, and the hairless in South America used for heeling,
but even these smaller types always had prick ears. A lot of trading went
on, from the Northern most American continent to South America, even back
in The Dog Days, and even more, after The Horse Days. Traded items such
as tools, salt, pipestone, blankets, knowledge, culture, pots, people,
dogs and later horses were exchanged. This trading of dogs has been proven,
as dogs indigenous to one area have been found in another, from one end
of the continent to the other. Native Americans were very well versed
in selective breeding, as can be seen by the way they bred and trained
the (big-dogs) horses, when they arrived. There is also evidence of Dogs
used for herding turkeys, deer, buffalo and even fish.

I believe, through
all my research, accounts of Spanish priests and soldiers, explorers,
trappers and the Elders, that had and or saw these Dogs, that the largest
population of these Common Indian Dogs were found in the Plains areas.
One early explorer noted that there were over 300,000 of these dogs just
amongst the Plains Indian groups. In my opinion, breeding all the various
tribal dogs together is doing the same thing that was done hundreds and
thousands of years ago, which makes the Plains Indian Dog the melting
pot of all the working type Dogs from the north, south, east, and west.
These dogs were in turn traded back to the same Plains Indians. The earliest
accounts and observations of Indian Dogs say, they looked like a cross
between a fox and a wolf. These early explorers had probably never seen
a coyote. They also claimed they saw the Indian Dogs running wild in different
areas. I believe these were either coyotes, feral Indian Dogs or both.
One account felt that the Indians Dogs were a jackal derivative or cross.
The jackal and coyote are very similar looking and probably closely related
to both, and with the Dingo also. The Dingo was probably one of the primitive
type dogs brought in by different migrating groups. Also the Vikings could
have brought in their working herding collie types, way back before the
big European onslaught. Because of my interest and knowledge of The Dogs,
some of the Elders asked me to be the guardian of The Dogs. They said
it must be a responsibility, left to me. My quest had begun!

I started with 2 dogs,
brother and sister, these were Plains, Common and/or Hare Indian Dogs.
I looked around for more Dogs, believing at the time, there must be lots
more. I wrote to every reservation or Native American organization from
Canada to Mexico. I gathered all the articles, books and information I
could find. I heard from a Mohegan family who had 4 of their Dogs, 2 were
fixed and old, 1 adult female and 1 puppy. They wouldnt sell them,
but offered to let me breed from them, this was impossible, as I was only
14 at the time. I contacted these same people years later, but all their
dogs had died. They had sent me pictures and they looked just like my
dogs and were a silver-sable color, I later found some more of these same
types and believe them to be of the Hare Indian Dog type. I also heard
from an Elder from a Southern Reservation who raised sheep in Arizona
and he had an Indian Dog, which had been crossed with the Old Spanish
or Bask sheep dogs. These reminded me of the Indian Dogs and old Viking
types, and he said they were very similar. He also knew of feral Indian
Dogs living in the Canyon De Chili area. The ranchers there were killing
them, for they were getting their livestock. They called them Black Devil
Dogs. With the help of a friend and teacher we went searching for these
Dogs. We contacted the local SPCA, who knew of these dogs. They had one
earlier, but they had put it down, but told us where to find them, and
they would call me if or when they found another. We camped out, observing
the dogs and eventually trapped 2, a male and female, both black. The
male turned out to be un-trainable, so we turned it loose in the Valley
where I grew up (Ive heard rumors of black devil coyotes spotted
there since, shhhhh!) The female was bred to my male Indian Dog.

I then found a dog
in Canada that was said to be from the Ojibwa, it seemed to be very similar
to or a combination of Trap-line Dogs and Village Indian Dog. This female
was then bred to my male, and their pups bred to my female. I then found
another Village Indian Dog from a sled dog racer, that used them for long
distance racing, he said they would work tell they dropped for him, if
he wanted them to, and could beat anything around. I bred this one to
my Dogs and their respective pups.

I was then drafted
into the army and had to leave my Dogs with family and friends. After
A.I.T. and with a 2-way radio strapped to my back and a tall antenna with
a red flag on it, I received orders to go to Vietnam with my red flag!
As I didnt agree with the Vietnam thing, plus I felt I had work
to do. I deserted and was on the run for 2 years. During this time I took
some of my Dogs with me. I traveled, pretty much under ground, from Res.
To Res. From Canada to Mexico, trying to find out more about The Dogs,
fallowing every rumor I heard. I found some more Village and Trap-line
Dogs in Canada, and 2 very strange Tahl-Tan Bear Dogs (1 solid black with
some white and 1 choc. Red) they looked like some kind of spits-terrier.
They were smaller than all the other Northern type Dogs. (Later I saw
some New Guinea Singing Dogs that look very similar? These
Dogs used to be registered with the CKC, but are believed to be completely
extinct now.) I found 3 more of what I have come to call the Southwestern
types in Mexico and New Mexico. Also some Catahoola-Curs or Black-mouth
Curs in Louisiana in the swamps and back woods (later I found out these
where the more Southeastern types, not Catahoola), but the Catahoola do
have a small percentage of Old Indian Dog in them, from that same area.
I then found what was said to be a Klamath Indian Dog, white with longer
hair than most, in Northern Ca. I eventually gave myself up to the army
and when I was released from the stockade, I found that some of my Dogs
had disappeared, which taught me a very good lesson on the Dogs. Be careful
whom you trust with the Dogs! Not everyone thinks of them like I do.

I bred from the Dogs
I had remaining, and one other Dog, a male Dog, belonging to a Lady I
saw hitch-hiking in Big Sur Ca. I almost had an accident, as I turned
around so fast when I saw this Dog, (the Lady was no Dog either!), I didnt
own this Dog, but she let me breed it with my females. This Dog was a
very nice Sioux Indian Dog. Other than 2 more feral Dogs from the Southeast,
there were no more Dogs used in the breeding program. There have been
lots of leads and people thinking they may have Indian Dogs. After researching
1000s of dogs, feral dogs and crosses of all kinds, especially after the
big hybrid craze started, everyone thought they had an Indian Dog. There
are still rumors of feral Indian Dogs in the swamps in Florida, and sightings
of black Devil Dogs in Canyon De Chili. By this time Im afraid they
may have too much coyote and or Hound blood in them to be worth investigating
(now those black coyotes in Leona Valley, Id love to think theyre
still there, living on the wild side).

By breeding in the
right way, (breeding backwards, as I call it) mixing all the slightly
different types, selectively, together, it is recreating the Common or
Plains Indian Dog type. The original Plains and Common Indian Dogs were
a combination of all these types combined together, anyway, way back.
Plus since there wasnt enough of any one, of these types to save
separately, it makes sense to me, to breed them all together. I also tried
and still do, keep the lines as un-related as possible. To have a more
or less "outcross" after line breeding for not more than 4 generations.
I feel this is very essential for any breed, particularly this one, as
they were never, so-called pure breeds hundreds of years ago. The Native
Americans that developed and bred them wanted to retain those slight differences,
and there is no reason to try to breed little carbon copies now, just
to satisfy the big name registries. They dont care about the breeds;
just how popular they can make them, for more money.

At the present time
there are a variety of natural sable colors, all matching the old colors,
gray, silver, Fawn, black, cream, red, chocolate-red, golden-red, red
and tan, tan etc . However I dont breed for color, but the
natural look, and loyal, trainable character, typical of the original
American Indian Dogs.

The studbook numbers
100 (at that time, now closer to 250) and the registry are closed to any
outside dogs. However, if a feral or domestic specimen is studied and
found to be pure or close enough to the Indian Dog type, it will sure
be considered, to be included in the breeding program. The Carolina Dogs
are very similar to the Southeastern types that I found years ago, but
to me seem to have to much Hound and Mastiff, blood in them brought to
that area by the Spanish years ago. I do consider these to be a close
cousin to the A.I.Dogs and with good control and selective breeding practices
they could be brought even closer to the true Indian Dog type originally
found in that area.

I would like to emphasize
that I did not introduce any coyote or wolf blood into the Dogs, as I
feel very much against the diluting of the original bloodlines. Its
very important to educate people as to what the true original Dogs were
and still are  Im very much against the wolf and coyote hybrid
breeders that try to market their hybrids as Indian Dogs, they are not
at all the same, just look a-likes. The original Native Dogs where very
loyal and trainable and Id like to keep them that way, not giving
people the wrong idea of what a true Indian Dog was and is, and its
not a hybrid! This is why it is so important to adhere to the very strict
rules of the breeding program.

It is not possible
for me to prove that any of the Dogs I found for the foundation lines
were pure Indian Dogs, although I do know, through my research and the
geographical areas they were found, they were and are the closest living
relatives to our Native Dogs.

I have spent almost
all of my life on this Quest to save these Dogs. I tend to take it very
personal when someone tries to pass off a hybrid as an American Indian
Dog. Or even worse, a Poodle, just because it is, or was, owned by a Native
American, does not make it an Indian Dog! An Indian's Dog, yes, an Indian
Dog no! It is very important that the breeding program be strictly adhered
to in order that the breed is not lost as it almost was. I hope anyone
who wants to share their lives with one of these Dogs realizes the responsibility,
for educating people and ensuring that the correct breeding and bloodlines
are used, and not trying to change it from it's original standard. And
not to let it become just another political game. These Dogs have always
been our saviors, teachers, and companions and they have something very
important to teach each and every one of us if we are willing to listen
and learn. They are the connection with our past. I also want to emphasize
that this is NOT the type of breed for just anyone.